Shades of Red
by Chel Bel
Summary: Summer's began, but Malon can't relax yet. Especially with a murderer on the loose, the new ranch hand starting to act suspicious, her friendship with Link taking a strange turn, and upon realizing that she just might be next on the murderer's list.
1. a day off

**1. A Day Off**

"Hey, Mal, take the day off why don't 'cha? I think I got everything under control here."

Malon stopped milking the cow for a moment to look up at the person who'd spoken to her. He was leaning up against the doorway in a casual manner and looking at her expectantly as he waited for her response.

"No, it's all right," she began, running the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead and turning back to the cow, "There's still a bunch to do, and I'm not going to make you do it all by yourself." As soon as she finished her statement, she went back to milking the cow, trying to give the impression that she wasn't changing her mind.

The person leaning against the doorway let out a sigh and made his way into the room. He pulled up a stool and set it next to her before plopping himself down on it and looking directly in the eyes.

"See the thing is, Malon, I wasn't really _asking_ you to do it. I was telling you to." She stopped milking the cow for the second time and turned to him, an eyebrow quirked. A smirk was now adorning his face and his eyes were bright and excited, daring her to challenge him.

"And who are you to tell me to do anything, Emin?" She finally retorted, placing a hand on her hip. Emin's smile grew even wider at that, and he let out a chuckle, pleased to see she had accepted his challenge.

"Come. Walk with me." He said, standing up and extending his hand out for her to take.

She hesitated for a moment, glancing between him and the cow and then back at him, "I really don't think I should…"

Emin rolled his eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh, "Just get up, Malon. It's really not going to kill you."

"Well… it could." She said defensively for lack of a better response. She then wiped her hands on the front of her apron before rising from the stool and taking the hand he extended to her.

As soon as they stepped outside, the gleaming light of the afternoon sun immediately hit her eyes, and it took a couple seconds for her to get used to it. The day was hot, but she still enjoyed the feeling of the warm summer breeze brushing against her skin as well as the smell of hay and horses that lingered in the air. She smiled to herself upon seeing the horses running freely around the coral and the cuccos pecking at the dirt, searching for any unsuspecting worms. It was the type of day that made her want to sit back and relax, and Emin's offer seemed more and more appealing by the second.

She looked up at the new ranch hand. She'd hired Emin about five months ago, and considered it a gift from the goddesses that he was someone they could trust as well as a hard worker. Two months before she'd hired him, she was almost certain that things were going to end in disaster for the ranch. But he showed up right in the nick of time to help and she was forever grateful for that.

"I guess I just don't see why you're so opposed to taking the day off," Emin finally said, jolting her from her thoughts. She tore her eyes away from the cuccos to focus on him, and he was smiling gently at her, his light brown hair swaying in the breeze. When she answered him with silence, he took it as his hint to go on, "After all, it's such a beautiful day, and it's much too hot for work anyway. I just think you need a break." She turned away from him again once he finished, trying to decide how she wanted to explain herself.

It wasn't that she was _opposed_ to taking the day off—a break would be something she'd welcome without a second thought—but still, that would mean more work for Emin, and there certainly was a lot of work to do. The main thing that made her want to stay was because she knew he wouldn't receive any help if she left. After all, her father and Ingo hadn't exactly been the hardest workers for the last few months.

In her father's case, she knew it couldn't be helped. He _was_ getting older, and that didn't mean his work habits were getting any better. He spent most of the day sleeping, and even when he did help out, he was never incredibly productive. That was something she could handle, though, and she didn't want to be angry at him for something he couldn't help.

Ingo's problem, however, was entirely different and one that annoyed her much more. Ever since he'd won a good sum of rupees at the bazaar one day, he'd latched onto the belief that he had some kind of luck bestowed on him by the goddesses. Even after he'd gambled away all of his money, he was still convinced his good fortune would come back and so all of the wages he earned would go straight to the bars. The worse part of it was that with his gambling problem, a drinking problem had been born as well. And so he was either too drunk to work or down at the bars gambling. She'd considered firing him several times, but her father just wouldn't have it. He claimed that Ingo was his best friend, and even if he had turned into a good for nothing drunk, it would be wrong to fire him.

Malon found herself frowning at the thought, and she shook her head to rid herself of them. She knew she still had yet to address Emin, but she didn't want to share with him what had been on her mind just yet, and so she retorted with the only thing she could think of, "Well…If it's too hot to work, than why should you have to work anyway? Maybe you should have the day off."

He seemed to have been expecting this response from her, and so he looked back at her with a smirk on his face.

"Malon, you're underestimating exactly how much work I can do, again." That was something she couldn't really argue with him about; she knew she underestimated him sometimes, though she wasn't really sure _why _she did. She gave him a quick glance up and down, thinking. While he wasn't the bulkiest or strongest person in the world, he did have a decent build, and he was good at a lot of the things she asked him to do. He was also incredibly reliable, and she knew if he said he was going to get the work done then he would get his work done.

But it still didn't feel right making him do _everything_. She bit her lip before finally giving him the real reason for why she didn't want to leave him alone. "Look, Emin, Dad and Ingo aren't going to help you if I leave. You know they're not exactly… capable. And I don't want you to have to put up their lazy—"

She stopped once she saw him put up a hand to silence her. She quieted down, but gave him a puzzled look when he stopped and went in front of her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders.

"Malon I promise, I _swear_ to you that I have everything under control on this ranch. I can manage without Ingo or Talon's help, and I promise the ranch won't combust into a million flames if you take the day off. So please just _go _already, okay?"

For another moment she was silent, staring into his dark brown eyes as he looked intensely into hers. Finally, she sighed in defeat. If she thought about it, she really didn't have any other reason not to go. Emin could be really persistent when he wanted to be, but it couldn't help to ask once more time, could it?

"Are you absolutely sure?" she questioned him, but the look on his face already answered her question. She continued on quickly before he could respond, "All right, all right, I'll get going. Just let me get one of the horses ready."

With that said, she turned to go, only to have him grab her shoulder once more. She turned and looked at him curiously.

"No need to do that," he said with a smile before turning away and letting out a loud whistle. Seconds later, a chocolate brown mare came sprinting over in their direction, and Malon immediately recognized it as Hera, Emin's favorite horse. Once the mare was close to them, Malon realized that she was already saddled up and ready to go.

She turned toward him, her eyebrows raised, "Well you sure are prepared. What made you think I'd say yes?"

Emin simply chuckled in response as he watched her expertly climb up on the horse. When she was on, she turned back to him, still waiting for him to answer her. He shrugged, "There are just some people who are extremely predictable, Mal."

And with that said, he smacked Hera's rear, and she was off, carrying Malon with her. As they passed through the gates, he heard Malon yell something back at him, but he could barely make out what it was as her voice was drowned out by the sound of hooves.

* * *

She welcomed the feeling of the wind rushing through her auburn hair and the sun's heat beating down on her back. Even when sweat started permeating the back of her dress and began trickling slowly down her forehead, she was not perturbed. Rather, seeing the expanse of Hyrule field laid out before her gave her energy and lifted her spirits. As she rode across the field, she felt her previous concern of leaving Emin to the ranch by himself melt away into the sea of grass, and finally, she was at peace.

It was a clear and cloudless day—one perfect for riding—and she was glad she'd grabbed a hold of this opportunity and that Emin had been so persistent with her. Before this, she couldn't even remember the last time she took a break or some time off for herself. It seemed her days were always filled with tedious chores and other tasks that took up all the time she had. Constantly, she worried about what would happen the next day. Would the animals be okay? Would they sell a sufficient amount of milk? Would something happen to her father or Ingo? It was a tiring and unhealthy habit of hers, she knew that much, but it was also a hard one to break.

Now, though, as she rode Hera who galloped freely across the field, she couldn't help but feel that her mind was free to roam as well. She smiled as she watched Hera run; impressed by the mare's ability to keep the fast pace she had set. Hera was certainly one of their best horses, there was no doubt about it, and she suddenly understood why Emin bragged so much about her. She was healthy and strong; Malon couldn't help but admire the way her limbs worked expertly together to sustain the speed. She also had such a sweet personality, which was one of the other things Emin loved about her. She had the makings of a perfect horse. But despite all of this, Malon still couldn't help but think Hera paled a little in comparison to her favorite horse, Epona.

She had ridden and trained many horses in her life, yet she still couldn't think of one that could compete with Epona. After all, the horse had a great amount of endurance, was faster than any she'd ever seen, and was both healthy and beautiful. Not only this, but while Epona was stubborn and brash, something most people would find as her downfall, it was what Malon loved about her. The two were alike in many ways, one of the main reasons Malon believed they got along so well.

Thinking of how time had passed since she saw her beloved horse, Malon couldn't help but frown. How long had it been? Six months? Eight months? A year? She wasn't sure, and this uncertainty of hers always bothered her. She wanted to believe that Epona was okay, but it was hard to be sure of anything when she barely ever saw her. All she knew was that she most likely wouldn't be seeing much of the horse until a certain man in green decided to show up again.

Malon hadn't seen Link in what seemed like years, and it was hard to predict when she would see him again. He was always saying that he had some place to travel to—an assignment from the Princess—and that was his reason for not visiting. She saw it as frustrating, of course, and found herself frowning upon remembering the last time he visited her. It had only been for a few days in which he barely spent any time with her, and on the morning of the third day he'd gotten up and left without a word. Since then, she hadn't heard from him.

She heard plenty _about_ him, though. Malon wasn't a fan of gossip, and she found it to be an immature practice to engage in, but she couldn't help but listen in when she heard rumors about him floating around the Market. Although she tended to disregard most of what she heard since it was often far-fetched and ridiculous, she did recall people speaking about his whereabouts. There were some who claimed he was living in the castle and hard at work, and others claimed that he'd settled down in Kakariko and was living a peaceful life. She wasn't sure if either of those claims were true, but based on everything they said, she knew he was somewhere in Hyrule…for the time being.

She noticed that the sun was beginning to set beyond the horizon, casting shades of scarlet across the sky, and she shook her head, ridding her mind of those thoughts. As Hera slowed down to a trot, the wind which had been whipping through her hair before now acted as a gentle breeze against her face, cooling the sweat that had been there before. It seemed the entire fields had grown silent, save for the cry of a bird somewhere in the distance.

She tilted her head back, staring into the cloudless, ruby red sky. Although she hadn't realized it, it seemed the afternoon had passed her by. It was getting late, and she would have to go back to the ranch soon. She cherished the break that Emin gave her, and was thankful for having some time to herself, yet she wasn't sure when she'd be able to do it again, one of the main reasons she didn't want to go. As she stopped Hera, she decided she wanted to prolong her break for as long as she could. She let her eyes scan the heavens for a moment, as if waiting for some kind of sign to appear from the goddesses themselves. However, as she did this, she couldn't help but notice something a bit unnerving: a strange black circle floating in the sky.

Immediately, an uneasy feeling began to work its way into her stomach. She strained her eyes to look closer at this peculiar sight, and it didn't take long for her to identify the black circle as a flock of birds. Not just any birds, though. Vultures.

She was no fool. Malon knew that if there were vultures nearby, that could only mean something was dead. She shuddered at the thought. She knew it was most likely just some old animal that was killed, but at the same time, it was more of the thought of _what_ had killed it that bothered her.

She hadn't heard of any monster sightings of late, but every once in a while, some monster would come out from the forests where they usually hid and scour the fields for food, which would result in some random animal killing. It was strange, though, for the dead animal to be so far away from the forest where they were usually killed and so close to town.

The vultures seemed to have moved in closer to the animal, preparing for their meal. She sat there, thinking. What kind of animal was it that had fallen victim to the roaming monsters at night? She vaguely wondered if perhaps whatever was over there was still alive. After all, the vultures were still only circling it, which probably meant that the animal wasn't dead yet, but that it was dying. Maybe it was still clinging to life. Maybe if she went over there, she could rescue it…

She frowned at that idea. It wasn't a horrible one, but why should she want to go over there anyway? It would just be best to leave the vultures to their meal. She bit her lip in thought as she watched the vultures move in closer to it. But if it was alive… Suddenly, on a complete act of impulse, she grabbed Hera's reigns and kicked her heels into the horse's side, pointing her in the direction of the vultures.

They were a bit farther off than they had seemed before, but Hera was fast and it still didn't take long for the pair to get close to their destination. As they came over a hill that was blocking their view of the dying animal, Malon was able to make out a big black form in the distance—the vultures' prey.

When she and Hera were close enough, Malon was finally able to discern the shadowed form of their prey as a vague outline of a horse. Immediately, she felt herself fill up with a new found determination. She _couldn't_ just leave a lone horse out there to die, especially if there was a chance it could still be living. She would do whatever she had to in order to save it. Pulling on Hera's reins, the horse broke into a light run until Malon ordered her to stop when they were just a few feet away from the animal. She could finally make out what it really was that had died, and was shocked to see it wasn't a horse.

Her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest, and she felt her mouth suddenly go dry. What, in the distance, had appeared to be a mane was hair. What had appeared to be a tail was a tattered and torn dress, and what had appeared to be four pairs of long and powerful legs, were actually lifeless arms and legs.

No, it wasn't a horse that had been killed. It was a woman.

* * *

Ahh, I'm baaack! I really hope you guys like that. This is the first time I've written fan-fiction since 2007, and I'm really excited to be back here and working on something new. I do plan on continuing and finishing this (unlike my other stories) because I already have most of it planned out, and I'm really excited to get started. If anyone's curious on other new things I'm planning to post or what I'm going to do with my other stories, you can check my profile for more info. I will be updating that soon.

The title to this story may change, by the way, and yes, Emin is a character of my own creation. I'm sorry for those of you that don't like OC's, but he will play an important role in this. And I also know the ending may have seemed kind of random, but I promise there's a point to it. I'm excited to start on chapter two, and, if you liked what you read, then I really hope you come back for more! Thanks for reading everyone, and please review!


	2. disturbances

**2. Disturbances**

All she could do at first was stand there, shocked into silence. A pool of blood surrounded the woman, soaking through what was left of her dress and staining the grass a dark shade of red. There was one deep slit across her neck, as though it had been cut slowly and precisely, guaranteeing her death. Black and purple bruises covered her arms and legs, and various cuts ran along her body. Though she was dead, her eyes were still wide open, her mouth hanging agape, as if she was still screaming in terror as she looked into the eyes of her killer.

Looking at the body made her feel nauseous, yet Malon still couldn't look away. Her arms felt stiff and brick-like as if they were too heavy to move, and she was clutching the reins so tightly, her knuckles were beginning to turn blue. For some strange reason, she couldn't take her eyes off the scene before her, no matter how much she wanted to. In her state of shock she didn't quite know how to react.

It was Hera that brought her out of this shock. Malon was barely prepared for it when the horse suddenly reared back, causing a flash of panic to sweep through her body. Had she not been clutching the reins so tightly, she was sure she would have ended up on her back on the ground. Her focus shifted and she suddenly remembered that she couldn't just sit there staring at the body all day. Something had to be done.

"I've got to get to town…" she mumbled to herself, and finally took action.

A hard kick to Hera's sides sent the horse flying. The pair took off through the fields, Hera running as fast as she could manage. No matter how hard she tried, Malon was not able to get the picture of the woman out of her mind. It was the driving force behind her actions. It made her feel sick and terrified, but she knew that no matter what, she couldn't just forget about it. She needed to notify someone, an official.

The sun continued to sink behind the trees, the sky grew darker, and the wind pushed against her, but Malon pressed on. Within close to fifteen minutes, she could see the market coming into view, and she let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the bridge was not yet closed. She thanked the goddesses and hurried on.

However, when she got closer she felt frustration run through her body. The guards who usually kept watch outside were not at their usual posts. She inwardly swore as she willed Hera to slow down. This meant they were inside and most likely getting ready to close the bridge. She had just made it. Quickly, she jumped down from Hera and clumsily tied her to a post outside. After this, she wasted no time to hurry into the market.

She was right in thinking that the market was closing soon. As she walked in, her first thoughts were that the place seemed almost deserted. Gone was the busy and bustling atmosphere that she was used to walking in to. The only people that were around now were a few vendors still packing up for the day, as well as some mischievous looking teenagers who liked to lurk around at night. But there were no kids playing in the streets, no townspeople running back and forth to different stands, no entertainers trying to raise money. The place had taken on a completely eerie atmosphere, yet all Malon was concerned about was that there still didn't seem to be any guards around.

"Damn it, where are they?" She said to herself, frantically looking around. When there didn't seem to be any around the main square, she turned and began to run toward the castle entrance, knowing that there had to be some there. She began to jog up the small path, and to her relief, she didn't have to run much farther. She spotted two guards walking up the path in front of her, and waited until she was in hearing range until she called out to them.

"Guards! Guards! Wait!" She yelled as loudly as she could, hoping they would hear the urgency in her voice. It seemed that was exactly what they heard. The two turned around immediately and wasted no time to rush to her side.

"Ma'am, what's wrong? Are you injured?" One of them said as soon as he was by her side. Malon shook her head, concentrating on catching her breath. He furrowed his brows in confusion and questioned her again before she had a chance to speak, "Then what is it, Miss? Is everything all right?"

Again, she shook her head and finally managed to stutter out, "N-nothing with me, it-it's the field, a-a girl sh-she was—"

"Hey, calm down will you! We can barely understand you!" The second guard finally piped up, taking a more serious tone with her. Malon took deep a breath and slowly let it out to try and fix her rapidly flowing speech.

"I-I was out in the field and I saw," she swallowed before continuing a bit quieter, "I saw a girl and it looked like… I'm almost positive she was murdered. A-and I don't think it was just by some monster at night. It looked more like…" She eventually trailed off and shook her head, not able to continue.

The two exchanged a worried glance with one another once she'd finished. Then the first one who'd spoken to her said, "Are you positive that's what you saw?"

Malon nodded again, assuring them. "Yes, I'm sure." He nodded back at her, and then turned to his partner.

"Then we can't waste any more time. You're going to have to show us where you found her."

To Malon it seemed to take forever for the guards to get their horses saddled up before they were ready to depart. Twice they had to go back, claiming they'd forgotten something—first a lantern and then a weapon—and twice Malon felt like yelling at them to hurry up. She held her tongue for fear of seeming rude, but at the same time, she felt like this was an urgent matter and wished that they would at least try to be quicker. When they were finally finished and brought their horses outside, she practically jumped on Hera, ready to leave. She waited for them to mount their own horses and, once they were on, didn't waste any time to kick her heels into Hera's sides and take off.

To her surprise, the guards' horses didn't have much trouble keeping up with Hera, and she vaguely wondered if they were the same horses Emin had sold just a few weeks ago. But she shook her head to rid her mind of any distractions. She had one goal at the moment, and that was leading them to the dead woman.

The vultures which had been present in the sky before were no longer there, and she was worried at first, wondering if she would still be able to find the body. But she remembered the general direction, and left the rest up to her instinct.

When they'd made it over the hill, she could see the throng of black birds crowded around and on top of the body. A shudder ran through her as she looked at the sight, and she wasn't completely sure if she'd be able to face the body now that the vultures had begun to work their way in it. From behind her, she heard one of the guards swear under his breath, and she knew they were probably going to insist that she leave, but she wasn't quite done yet. Quickly, she made Hera run until she was directly by the woman's side.

Most of the vultures started to fly off upon the pair's arrival, though a couple stayed where they were, screeching loudly at the two for interrupting their meal. Malon could sense Hera's apprehension and was prepared this time when Hera reared back, wanting to get away from the birds. She held on tight to the reins to keep from falling off and was relieved to see that Hera had startled the remaining birds that immediately flew away in fear.

As soon as her relief had come, it was swept away even sooner once she saw what the vultures had done to the dead woman. She appeared to be even more mangled than she had been before, her stomach ripped open and her insides visible. Malon turned away immediately, feeling herself getting sick.

"Shit…" she heard a guard mutter, and watched as both came closer and dismounted. They walked slowly to the lifeless body; as if afraid it might jump up and attack them. She turned back for a moment to watch them move closer and examine the body, but she had to turn away when they started touching it, lifting the head to get a better look.

"Those damn monsters," said the one who'd spoken to her first, the one who seemed to be the leader, "Poor thing never had a chance…"

His partner nodded solemnly, examining her arms more closely, "Yeah, see, look at these claw marks on her arms. The work of Wolfos, no doubt. I didn't think they'd come out this far."

"You never know what to expect out here anymore, Isec," His partner agreed and then continued bitterly, "Damn it, I told the captains we needed more security around the forests. They never listen to me…"

As she sat there silently, Malon realized that the two seemed to have forgotten about her. She hesitated before finally speaking up to tell them what she'd tried to in the market, "I-I don't think it was a Wolfo that did this. I mean you probably can't tell now because of the vultures, but I saw her earlier and it… it looked like the work of a person, not a monster."

The two, aware of her presence once more, exchanged a glance before looking back at the redhead.

"You don't say…" The leader said curiously as he contemplated her words.

She nodded, but the one she learned was called Isec frowned at her, "No. I don't think so. I've seen my share of Wolfo victims, and this one is definitely one of them. No doubt about that."

"But look at the bruises on her. And all those cuts. How else could you explain that?" She retorted, barely aware of the sound of desperation in her own voice. When Isec continued to look at her with disapproval in his eyes, it frustrated her to no end.

"Well, an adult Wolfo is pretty large," he began, his eyes narrowing slightly at her, "And if one managed to get on top of her, well… you can see what that would lead to. And as for the all the cuts, they _do _have long claws and sharp teeth," he finished and then added haughtily, "We're _trained_ to identify these things, Miss."

Malon still couldn't believe it. The woman couldn't have been killed by a monster. The cuts weren't deep enough to have been done by a Wolfo, and the bruises weren't big enough. Not only this, but she would have expected to see more carnage if she'd been killed by a monster. Isec's claims made no sense, and she had not the slightest idea as to why the man refused to believe her. For a moment, both parties simply stared at each other, gazes unwavering. Finally, the leader of the pair of guards sighed, walking closer to Malon and Hera.

"Hey, look, Miss. You've probably had a long day. I think it would be best if you went home to get some rest."

Malon wasted no time to protest, "But I still think that—"

"I could escort you home if you like." Isec interrupted her, giving her a glare.

Malon sighed in defeat, deciding that there was nothing she could say to convince them. All she could do was listen to the men, "No, it's all right," she mumbled, "I can…I can make it back on my own."

Both men nodded and the leader addressed her with a sympathetic smile, "Don't worry, Miss. We'll make sure we find out the cause of this and that stuff like this doesn't happen anymore. Until then, just try to forget this happened, all right?"

Malon sighed and dropped her eyes, nodding reluctantly, "Right. Forget about it…" When she looked back up, he shot her one last smile before turning back to the dead woman. Both men then started to examine the body again, discussing what to do and eventually forgetting about her once more.

So with nothing left to do, Malon kicked her heels into Hera's side and they took off in the direction of the ranch.

**---**

By the time she entered the ranch, the sun had sunk behind the trees, and stars were beginning to dot the night sky. The whole ranch seemed to be peaceful, the only sound she heard being the soft lullaby of the crickets hidden in the grass. Hanging outside the house was a lantern, and she could see light pouring out from the downstairs windows as well. She frowned, hoping that no one had stayed up too late waiting for her to come home.

When they finally neared the barn, Malon slipped off Hera, landing lightly on her feet. All that was left to do was put Hera away in the barn for the night and head off to bed. She felt exhausted and was almost positive Hera felt the same way. The horse had started to turn a bit cranky, but she knew it was only because of how hard she'd worked the mare all day.

"You and I both need some rest, huh?" She said quietly to Hera, patting her lightly on the nose. The horse only snorted in response.

She yawned as she took Hera's reins and began to sleepily lead her to the barn. It was completely silent as she approached it, so she was barely expecting it when the doors swung open, nearly hitting her in the face. She jumped back, startled, and had to squint her eyes against the flood of light that rushed out.

"Malon!" She heard someone say her name in surprise, and immediately recognized the voice as Emin's.

When her eyes finally began to adjust to the light, she smiled sheepishly at him. He was staring at her incredulously, as if he couldn't believe it was her, and she noticed he was holding onto the reins of a horse behind him.

"Hey?" She said it as more of a question, quirking a brow and eyeing the horse, "Were you…going somewhere?"

He shook his head, seeming to shake away his shock and suddenly remembered the horse standing behind him. He turned around to look at it before answering her.

"I was getting ready to go out and look for you, actually," he said, matter-of-factly, "I thought you'd be back at least before dark, and well… I was beginning to get worried," he paused, turning back to her and taking in her weary form before continuing cautiously, "Nothing strange happened to you, did it? You seem a little tense."

"It's funny you say that." Malon said with a sigh, walking past him and leading Hera to her stall. She quickly removed Hera's saddle and waited for Emin to do the same to his own horse before turning back to him. He was already looking at her with curiosity written across his face.

"How about we go inside the house, I get you some dinner and you tell me all about whatever it is you need to tell me?" He suggested. Malon simply nodded in agreement. They finished putting the horses away before beginning the short trek from the barn to the house.

Though the lights were on, the entire house was quiet, she noticed upon entering, and neither her father nor Ingo were downstairs. She sat down at the table and watched as Emin cut her a small slice of bread and poured her some soup left over from dinner. She frowned, suddenly feeling bad for him having to make his own dinner. She knew none of the men on the ranch were the best of cooks and felt guilty for not being there to cook for them as she usually was. Once Emin sat down, placing her dinner in front of her and sitting across from her at the table, she was distracted from her thoughts and remembered what she had to tell him.

At first he was silent, waiting for her to eat, and she tried to eat as much soup as she could until she realized she didn't have the appetite for it. Instead, she opted to nibble on the bread, even though it was hard and stale, and contemplated how she wanted to begin her story. Emin watched her for just a minute longer before speaking.

"My cooking that bad?" He said jokingly, but she flushed lightly, feeling bad for having given him that impression. She quickly shook her head to assure him that that wasn't why she wasn't eating much.

"Oh, no! It's not the cooking. It's just that," she hesitated, "I don't have much of an appetite… today kind of put a lot on my mind."

He nodded in understanding and leaned back in the chair, putting his arms behind his head, "Care to explain?"

She was only quiet for a bit longer, taking a few more bites of bread before beginning her story.

"Well, everything… everything started out fine. I was just riding around with Hera and trying to enjoy my break like you told me to, and everything seemed normal. Nothing too out of place," she frowned, "But right when I was getting ready to come home, I spotted them. Vultures, that is. Of course, instinct told me to just ignore it, but something told me…something told me to go over there. I just had to go and see what they were circling around," she paused, looking up to see if he was still listening and when she found he was, she continued, "So I did. When I got close enough, I couldn't completely tell because of the shadows, but I thought I saw it was a horse they were circling around. Then I had this _ridiculous_ idea that if it was alive I might be able to save it. Well, when I was finally close enough to really see it, I found out that it wasn't a horse, but a woman."

She paused again, noticing that Emin's eyebrows had furrowed together in concern. "Go on." He said, urging her to continue. She took a deep breath before she did.

"Emin, it was horrible. There was…there was so much blood around her and she was covered in bruises and cuts and," Malon stopped for a second and shook her head, trying to rid it of the mental images she'd just conjured up, "Anyway, I went to get help, found two guards near the castle, and they eventually came out with me to see the body. They declared she'd been attacked by Wolfos or some other monster, and that it would be best if I simply left and forgot about it."

Again, she stopped talking, leaning forward and placing her elbows on the table and putting her head in her hands. Emin gave her a sympathetic smile, leaning forward and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Well, maybe they're right. I'm sorry, Malon. I never would have suggested you take the day off if I knew you were going to find _that_."

She suddenly sighed loudly and sat back up, shaking her head in frustration. "No, Emin, that's not what I'm trying to get at," she said this with more a serious tone and she noticed his brows knitted together again, this time in confusion, "What I'm trying to say is that I'm almost positive there's no way that that woman was killed by some Wolfo."

"But you just said the guards said—" He began but was cut off by Malon.

"I _know_ what the guards said!" She snapped at him unintentionally. He remained quiet and waited for her to continue, "The guards were wrong. There's just no way a monster did that. I'm positive she was murdered by human hands, and not on accident. The guards didn't get a chance to see her until the vultures had already had their fill, but _I _did. And I may not know much, but I know animals don't kill like that."

"I still don't see how you can be so sure." Emin said, giving her a skeptical look once she had concluded. Malon looked him directly in the eyes as she spoke.

"It was the way it looked like she was killed. The bruises on her arms and legs were in the shapes of human hands and her neck… she was cut right at the nape of her neck, in a straight line across as if whoever did it _knew_ what they were doing. I'm telling you, Emin, it wasn't a monster!"

Her voice had risen now, and he was almost worried she might wake Ingo and Talon if she didn't quiet down. But Emin still wasn't completely convinced, and after a moment of hesitation dared to disagree with her, "I don't know, Malon. I mean the guards _are_ trained for that kind of stuff. You can't completely disregard what they said—"

"I know what I saw, damn it! What do I have to say to get you to believe me?!" Malon shouted, and this time she seemed to realize the level of her voice. She quieted down immediately and ran a hand through her hair. Then she stood and began walking away from her chair, turning her back on him. "I just know it wasn't a Wolfo…" she started to trail off, looking down at her feet. Emin stood up from his own chair, going to her side.

"Malon, you're blowing this whole thing out of proportion! It can't be that big of a deal." He said, just about losing his temper by now. Yet when she looked at him again, he was surprised to see the beginnings of tears in her eyes. Immediately he felt bad raising his voice at her.

"All I'm saying," She began weakly, her voice low, "is that if I'm right, if it _was_ a person that killed her and not just a Wolfo, then the people could be in danger. If there's a murderer lurking around Hyrule somewhere…I can't just _ignore_ something like that…"

Emin sighed and looked away from her for a minute, finding he was at a loss of words. She seemed to be losing her will to argue, and he didn't want to start a new argument with her. He watched as a couple tears rolled down her cheeks and then sighed, taking her in his arms and holding her against his chest.

"Hey, hey, you've had a long day," he spoke softly, beginning to gently stroke her hair, "I think all you need now is to get some rest, all right?"

She mumbled something incoherent into his chest, something that sounded a lot like a protest. He simply ignored it and repeated what he had said.

"You want some sleep, Mal?" She didn't say anything, but he felt her heave a frustrated sigh into his chest. After a couple seconds of silence, though, she nodded.

He then released her and quickly put aside the dirty dishes before helping her up the stairs to her room. He stood in the doorway as she walked in and smiled at her before leaving.

"You promise me you'll rest, Malon?" She waved him away with her hand and mumbled something he couldn't understand. He just chuckled lightly and went off to his own room.

Then she climbed into her bed and did just as he asked. She slept.

**---**

You guys will never believe it (and I still don't believe it because it's so unusual and strange for me), but I actually finished writing this chapter in the time span of two days. Mind you, that was just rough draft. The editing took a bit longer than that, but that's still a big accomplishment for me considering it normally takes me a month or more to finish a new chapter. So yay! I expect chapter three will be finished quickly as well since I've already started it (well, okay, I only have about two paragraphs so far, but it's better than nothing).

You guys may be saying to yourselves, where is Link? Well, let's just say he just may be showing up soon (wink wink). Sorry if that last scene seemed a bit like some Malon/Emin lovin', but don't fret too much over that, things will fall together soon enough. One thing I would like you guys to answer for me is whether or not you think the chapters are too long. I could _try_ to shorten them if that is the case, but I'd rather not.

I really hope you guys are enjoying this, because I am having an absolute blast writing it! I can't wait to move on to chapter three, but in the mean time, keep sending the reviews!!


	3. deliveries

**3. Deliveries**

Malon didn't understand those fairytale books that portrayed waking up in the morning as such an amazing event. She didn't know why people wanted little girls to believe that when you woke up there would be a happy, singing little bird perched on your windowsill to entertain you as a trio of squirrels appeared to brush your hair and pick out your outfit. And why people wanted children to believe that a group of friendly mice would be willing bathe _anyone_ was beyond her.

The next morning, rather than a sweet little bird on the windowsill to wake her up, Malon was awakened by the feeling of the sun's harsh rays burning her cheek. She frowned, angry for being disturbed from her slumber and turned on her other side to get away from the sun and try to fall back asleep.

Just moments later, it clicked. The sun was up. The sun wasn't supposed to be up and shining this bright at five o'clock in the morning. She swore under her breath, forcing herself to sit up in bed as she realized what happened. She slept in late.

For a couple minutes she just sat there, glaring at the wall in front of her as if blaming it for not waking her up on time. What time was it anyway? She stole a glance out the window, trying to determine the time based on the position of the sun. It looked like it was getting close to noon, and that meant she would need to get ready to head in to town to sell milk soon.

She sighed and threw her legs over the side of the bed, standing shakily and walking over to the mirror. Tired, bloodshot eyes stared back at her, and her red hair was sticking out in some places, and plastered to her head in others. Groaning, she quickly splashed her face with water from the bowl she'd set out the morning before and then ran a brush through her tangled locks until she looked half-way decent. After dressing in her usual attire of a lavender skirt and cream colored shirt, she exited the room and made her way downstairs, yawning.

"Well it's about time." She heard someone grumble as soon as she was downstairs. She turned her sleepy gaze in the direction of the voice and her eyes met with Ingo's. He shot her a nasty glare and she rolled her eyes.

"It's nice to see you too, Ingo." She retorted curtly, walking to the icebox and taking out a hunk of cheese. She grabbed a knife and sliced it in two pieces before turning back to Ingo. As she walked to him to give him one of the halves, she didn't fail to notice the whiskey bottle beside him. Her eyes narrowed and she looked him directly in the eyes.

"Drinking so early in the morning?" She spoke chidingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What's it to you, wench?" He bit back defensively and Malon had to convince herself to hold her tongue and not make another comment. '_It's not good to get into a fight so early in the morning,'_ she told herself before quickly finishing off the cheese and turning back around to pour a quick glass of milk.

As soon as she finished her glass she walked to the door, stopping and turning back to Ingo before she left, "Tell Dad I'm delivering milk in the Market today, all right?" Ingo mumbled something incoherent in response and she rolled her eyes again before opening the door and stepping outside.

It was hot and muggy today, and she groaned, knowing that it was only going to get worse and it would probably have the same effect on her mood. She swatted away the flies that swarmed her when she was finally outside, already frustrated by the sticky feeling forming on her skin. Even if it was going to take some time selling in the Market she was just glad she wasn't going to be outside working for the entire day in the heat.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't see Emin running towards her until he was several feet away. He gave her one of his famous smiles when he was finally by her side.

"Finally up, Sleepyhead?" She grimaced at his nickname for her, and turned to him with a frown.

"Yeah…sorry about that. You know I'd never sleep in intentionally."

"It's not your fault," he said, shrugging, "After all, you were pretty tired after everything yesterday…" He started to trail off, shooting her a worried glance. He didn't want to remind her of the events of the previous night, and luckily, she seemed unfazed by his comment. She simply nodded and began to walk past him.

"I should go. I have to sell milk in the Market today, and it's going to take some time setting up."

Before she was even a foot away, he was on her heels. "Well, I wouldn't fret too much about that. While you were sleeping, I took the liberty of setting things up for you." Just as he finished, she turned the corner and, as if on cue, she saw their horse, Bessie, all saddled up and waiting with the milk cart attached. It was already loaded with crates full milk, and everything was secured so it wouldn't fall out.

She turned back to Emin in surprise, a big smile beginning to spread across her face. "Emin, have I ever told you how sometimes I think you're a gift from the goddesses themselves?"

He chuckled, putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her to the horse, "Oh, you may have mentioned it once or twice."

He released her so she could quickly scan over the contents in the cart to make sure it was all ready to go. Once satisfied, she climbed up on the horse and ran her fingers through Bessie's mane before looking down at Emin.

"You know, I think I'm getting a sense of déjà vu here," she said, an amused grin forming on her face as she thought of the day before when he'd had Hera all saddled up and ready to go, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying awfully hard to get rid of me."

Emin's eyebrows furrowed together slightly, "I don't know why you'd say that…" he paused, and then his expression became playful again, "Besides, why would I ever want to get rid of someone with such a pretty face?" He finished with a wink.

Malon rolled her eyes, taking the reins in her hands, "Don't try the whole 'prince charming' act with me, Emin. It doesn't suit you."

Emin chuckled and lifted his eyebrows at her suggestively, "Well, it could work someday. You never know."

It was Malon's turn to laugh now, and she shook her head, red hair swaying gently around her, "Nope Emin. I _do_ know." And with that said, she kicked Bessie gently in the sides, and they took off in a slow trot towards to entrance of the ranch. Emin just sighed, walking back to the stables to tend to the horses.

**---**

The atmosphere of the Market today was, unlike yesterday, exactly what she was used to. As soon as she arrived at her destination with Bessie, she was bombarded with the sound of music and children's laughter. Different colors flashed before her eyes as people wearing all sorts of outfits scurried about, and delicious smells of exotic foods wafted through the air. Despite the pleasant atmosphere, she couldn't help but let out a sigh, knowing that with so many people, selling milk wasn't going to be easy.

The first couple sales were, like she predicted, frustrating. She honestly didn't understand why people chose not to move when they saw a big horse with a milk cart attached to it coming straight towards them. There were a number of times when she would have to stop completely and wait for people to pass by before she could get by, and it was getting harder and harder to resist the urge to yell at them. One group of teenage boys in particular were also starting to bother her, creeping up behind the cart and pretending to steal some of the milk. She didn't hesitate to yell at them, and she had to laugh, recalling the frightened look on their faces when they discovered that such a pretty girl could have such a colorful vocabulary.

Upon reaching her next location, she stopped Bessie and jumped off, gathering several bottles together to deliver to the house. However, she was abruptly interrupted at the sound of someone calling her name.

"Malon! Malon!"

She barely had enough time to set down the milk before she was tackled, rather roughly, by the person who'd been calling her. They immediately wrapped their arms around Malon, capturing her in a tight hug and causing her to stumble backwards. But before she could say anything, she was released.

When she finally recovered from her shock, she took a look at the person who'd hugged her. A petite girl appearing only a few years younger than Malon with curly strawberry-blonde hair and big hazel eyes stared back at her. She was clad in a bright yellow dress with a matching hat and wore a big smile on her face. Malon returned her smile with a grin of her own, giving the girl a pleasant greeting.

"Hey Kema! It's been a while."

Kema nodded, her curls bouncing up and down excitedly, "A while? Oh, Malon it's been much too long! You know I've missed you!"

Malon couldn't help but chuckle at the Kema's enthusiastic outburst. Kema was one of the few girl friends she did have, and while sometimes she was a bit too cheerful, it certainly was refreshing to be around her, especially after being surrounded by men all the time.

"Oh, Malon, please tell me we'll be able to spend time together today. There's so much I have to tell you!" Kema continued, trying to sound as persuasive as she could. Malon sighed. She did wish she could take up Kema on her offer, but there were still too many bottles of milk to deliver.

"Sorry Kem, but I've still got more deliveries to make," She said, motioning her to the cart behind her. Immediately Kema's face fell, her shoulders slumping slightly and giving her the resemblance of a child told they couldn't have candy.

"Oh, I see…" she trailed off, and there was a silence that followed, something Malon wasn't used to around Kema. However, it didn't last long. She promptly jumped back up and smiled at Malon, her eyes once again cheerful.

"I have the most wonderful idea!" She exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly. Malon raised an eyebrow, and nodded, urging her to continue, "Well, as I'm _sure_ you know the annual Hyrule Summer Festival is coming up next week…" She started to trail off again.

Malon frowned, noticing the mischievous glint in Kema's eyes. She'd seen this look before, and it could only mean one thing: she was plotting something. It was never good when Kema plotted. "Where are you going with this?" Malon asked hesitantly, not quite sure she really wanted to know.

"You and I should go together!" Kema explained, her eyes lighting up at the idea. Malon thought about it for a moment. She wasn't really too fond of festivals, but then again, she hadn't been to one in a couple years. She supposed it couldn't hurt. However, as soon as she opened her mouth to reluctantly agree, Kema spoke up again, "It can be a double date!" She shut her mouth instantly, giving Kema a weary look.

"A… double date?" She managed to choke out after a few seconds of silence. Kema nodded happily.

"Of course! I already know who I'm going with," she sighed romantically and when she looked up at Malon, her eyes seemed to sparkle, "Oh, Malon, I've found him. I've found my true love."

Malon couldn't help but chuckle, gazing at Kema in amusement, "So Arthur is 'the one' after all, is he?"

Kema scrunched her face up in disgust, "Ew, of course not! I ended things with Arthur a while ago."

"But you were crazy about him the last time I saw you," Malon said, her expression betraying her confusion.

Kema sighed, exasperatedly, "Perhaps, but… well, you just can't control these things, Malon. Love occurs at the times you least expect it!"

Malon shook her head. It was no secret that Kema was a romantic, and Malon couldn't remember the last time she wasn't fawning over a boy or claiming she was crazy in love with them. It worried her sometimes, especially since the girl was quite naïve, but there was nothing much she could do about it. She may have been naïve, but the girl was also very stubborn and never took Malon's warnings seriously.

"Kema, aren't you a bit young to be, well, 'falling in love'?" Malon questioned after a moment of silence.

Kema frowned, "I'm sixteen years old, Malon, only three years younger than you. Most girls my age have already gotten married and some have children!" she paused, looking at Malon in thought, "You're nineteen, though. You can't tell me you haven't had any thoughts of marriage yet!"

Kema seemed to be appalled by the very thought, her eyes widening in shock. Malon sighed, glancing away and running a hand through her hair, "I guess the importance of marriage is viewed differently when you work on a ranch." She muttered, not looking Kema in the eyes.

"Oh, of course…" Kema looked away too, seeming to be slightly embarrassed for bringing it up. Malon knew she hadn't meant any harm. They were, after all, from completely different lives. Kema's father was a renowned merchant and her family was known for their wealth. It only seemed natural for her to be expecting to get married soon. But to Malon, taking care of the ranch was much more important than worrying about getting married. The differences between their lives never really bothered Malon, but she knew Kema was often worried that some of the things she said would offend her friend. She supposed Kema now thought the topic of marriage was one of those things.

An awkward silence had settled around the two, but it didn't take long for Kema to break it. "Say Malon," she began, a mischievous glint falling over her eyes—one that told Malon she was plotting again, "That new ranch boy you hired came here about a week ago to deliver us some milk. He's not bad looking, you know. And he's got _such_ a cute smile."

Malon frowned, "You mean Emin? Kema I don't know where you're going with this, but I don't think I like it…"

Kema giggled excitedly, "He's the one Malon! You can go with him to the festival! Oh, it will be so romantic! You guys would make such a cute couple. I'm sure he likes you too. I mean, I don't know how he couldn't with being around such a pretty girl like you all day."

Malon groaned. This was the side of Kema that she wasn't so fond of. Sometimes the girl was a bit too willing to play matchmaker, "Kema, you're getting way ahead of yourself. Emin and I… it's not like that."

Kema smirked and winked at her, "But it could be."

Malon rolled her eyes, placing a hand on her hip, "Kema, remember how things turned out that time you tried to set me up with that one guy, what was his name, Ulrin? No offense, but I would appreciate it if you didn't test out your matchmaking skills on me again." With that said, she glanced back at the milk cart behind her. She did still have a lot to deliver…

"Oh Malon, you didn't even give him a chance!" Kema exclaimed, "Ulrin's a nice guy, honest! He just thought you seemed a bit…intimidating, that's all. I'm sure the date would have gone great if you lightened up a bit."

Malon chuckled lightly as she climbed up on Bessie, recalling the date she'd had with Ulrin. What Kema said was true; he was nice. But that was just it, he was too nice. '_And too much of a wimp,_' Malon thought, remembering how he'd nearly _cried_ when she yelled at him for spilling his drink on her. She really wasn't fond of men with no backbone and, well, she couldn't help but intimidate him.

"Oh please go to the festival, Malon," Kema said, bringing Malon from her thoughts, "Do it for me. I promise we'll have fun…" She clasped her hands together when she finished, looking up at Malon with big, pleading eyes. Malon sighed. The girl was as persistent as ever, and it certainly was hard to say no…

"How about this," Malon began after a moment of thought, "I'll come back in a couple days and we can spend some time together. In the mean time," she hesitated then sighed, "In the mean time I guess…I'll consider asking Emin, but no promises, all right?"

Immediately the smile was back on Kema's face. "Oh, I'm so happy you said yes, Malon! I know we'll have _so_ much fun together at the festival!" She then reached up to give Malon another bone-crunching hug, nearly making her fall off Bessie in the process, "I'll see you in two days, Malon! I really can't wait!" Kema squealed and then began to skip off in the opposite direction.

"Wait, Kema!" Malon called after her, "I never said I would…" She then trailed off, seeing that Kema was out of earshot.

Malon just sighed in defeat. Sure, Kema was sweet, but she was also manipulative. When they did hang out in the couple days to come, Malon knew that no matter how many excuses she thought of, lies she made up or times she flat out denied her, Kema would find a way to make her go to that festival—whether she liked it or not.

**---**

And there's chapter three for you! I know not much happened in this, but at least now you know about the festival coming up and Kema has been introduced as well. She's another OC of mine and will play a pretty important role in this story. I'd like to know your thoughts on her. She sure is fun to write. :)

I promise you that our favorite hero will be in the next chapter. He was going to show up in this one, but I felt it was a little too rushed and I didn't want this to end up being ten pages or something. So sorry if I got your hopes up after the last chapter, but hopefully you'll enjoy the next one. I'm excited for him to come in, and the wait probably won't be too long either since I already have a lot of the next chapter written.

Anyway, this story is my baby and I love feedback. I'll return the favor to anyone who reviews so please review if you took the time to read it!


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